Catching Fire: In The Arena
by WelcometoPanem
Summary: Katniss, Peeta, Johanna and Finnick are in the Quarter Quell. See it through their eyes as they face death and love in the Arena.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys! Decided to rework some stuff and I will be updating more frequently I promise! **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Hunger Games or any characters. I wish though!**

**Johanna's POV **

"_Congratulations Johanna Mason!" Caesar Flickerman yells, causing the audience to shout after him. They are laughing and clapping and full of joy. My name fills the room as they chant it over and over. _

"_I love you Johanna!" one shouts loudly. _

"_Sounds like you have a few on your tail!" Caesar laughs. The Capitol citizens stop cheering and laugh. They are much quieter. They need to hear all the details. "Let's get started, shall we?" _

"_Now, you are the Victor of the 70th Annual Hunger Games," he says. His hair and skin are yellow this time. Not a flattering, bright yellow, but a watered down yellow that you would see if someone peed in the snow. It's distracting, funny even. I try my best not to laugh._

"_Yes, what an honor." I remark. They clap and it seems to me they didn't know it was a sarcastic comment. I catch Caesar staring ate my dress, which under the bright lights is a see through green. My cheeks burn. Shouldn't I have expected this? _

_He grabs my hand and I can feel myself become tense. What can I use in this room to murder him?_

_What? No. I don't need to murder him._

_But being prepared is always good, right? Wrong. I shouldn't have to think like this._

_I don't want to think like this._

_It's not my choice, though. I can't help it now. They did this to me. They created this hard to control monster. This embarrassing beast. I am a creation of The Capitol. And it will never stop, the fear. It is constant._

"_Johanna, tell me, what is it like to win the Games?"_

_I don't know what to say. I can't answer honestly. Snow would arrange an "accident" if I announced that being a Victor feels like shit. No, it doesn't feel good, like a big prize. I don't want this. Am I supposed to be boasting about it? _"Look at me I murdered other kids!"? _How can I be proud of taking other peoples lives? Ripping them from their families?_

"_Hello, Miss Mason?" Caesar asks, snapping me back into reality._

"_Oh, it's quite amazing, really." I lie. Amazing, more like a burden._

_Why should I feel proud of this? Who would ever feel proud of this? Living while other children died. Dead because I killed them. Me. _

_I am only 16. I have killed 8 people._

"_How about watching the recap?" I wish I could say no. I honestly wish it was a real question. I don't want to relive the painful and dark memories. Killing is not something I like. It's not fun for me. Its isn't a great experience. _

_What do the people of the Districts think? What does 7 think? I murdered the boy from my district. _

_Murdered._

"_Okay." I reply simply. If I said anything longer I would have thrown up. I can't do this. I can't watch it. _

_My hatred rises burns brighter than before. I could scream. I hope The Capitol burns._

_It's all a game to them. It doesn't matter, it's not their children. Not their sister, brother, friend, lover, niece, nephew. It is not them dealing with the pain and sorrow. _

_It is us. Us in the districts offering up one boy and girl every year. It is us who has to provide The Capitol with their way of living. It is us who starve._

"_Start the video," he calls out, a smile always gracing his face._

_How despicable. _

_I started The Games so innocently. I didn't harm anyone. It wasn't an act. My tears were not fake. They we real, just as my fear was. But it is better for people to think it was an act. I seem less weak now. _

_My first kill was the girl from District 9. She begged for her life. Pleaded with me. "_I have a family!" _she screamed as I beat her. I had no weapons at the time. _"I have to get back to them!"

_She didn't understand that I , too, had a family I had to see again._

_But would my family love me like they did before? Now that I was a murderer, would they look at me the same way? Or would they let me feel my shame?_

_My eyes water._

_I am only 16. I should be kissing a boy, not killing innocent people. I shouldn't be watching this, let alone doing it. I am a monster. _

_I am going to throw up. I taste bile. I wan't to run. My guilt is taking over. The room is getting burry. Tears are blurring my vision. Blinking as fast as I can, I try to rid myself of them._

_The video stops. It's over._

_It's over._

"_Johanna Mason, Victor of the 70th Annual Hunger Games!" Caesar grabs my wrist and lifts me to my feet. I smile._

_It's over. I can smile again._

_The audience is cheering and clapping and waving. It's all a blur of makeup and fabric. Normally I would be so disgusted by this. Them cheering for me. But now, it's all over._

_It is all over now._

My haze clears. I am no longer in The Capitol. No longer in that awful green dress. I am in a wet suit. I am in the 75th Hunger Games. The third Quarter Quell.

I was put here by Snow.

I am here to help kill Snow.

I need to kill Snow.

I have too.

"Johanna?" I hear a familiar voice say. Finnick Odair crouches down next to me.

"Yeah?" I reply.

"Katniss and Peeta offered to take first watch. They said we could get some sleep. Beetee has already gone to bed." His voice is quiet. Patient. His sea green eyes are trained on my own plain brown.

"Sure." I crawl to the "hut". I am much to tired to walk. A few hours of rest will be amazing.

We lay down. I am so tired I should fall asleep as soon as my head hits the ground, but that's not the case. It's never the case.

I am a Victor.

It's not simple to fall asleep.

We are haunted by a past, and now a present, that are out of our control. We are impacted, imperfect, because of it. We hurt while others rejoice. We live with the guilt, the burden. They know nothing of the sort.

Their prim and proper ways will never be affected by The Games. At least not in the way the Victors and everyone who knew each Tribute is.

No.

No, They will never know that pain.

They will never feel the guilt that comes with taking away a life.

No decent human could fall asleep after that.

**AN: Please Review! As I said before I am refreshing this story, making chapters longer and fixing other things. Reviews would be amazing!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Hey guys! I am trying to update as soon as I can, I promise! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! :)**

Finnick's POV

I am tired.

So tired.

My mind is. I need sleep.

But it is more than that. My mind is tired of this torture. Tired of the games Snow plays. We are force to give and give and give.

I thought once I exited the arena the first time it was over. But that was a big hope. A dream.

I am so tired of false hope.

I am almost asleep but I know Johanna isn't. I need sleep but she does too. I know if I was here I wouldn't be able to sleep, but she needs to try.

"Go to sleep, Johanna." I whisper. I hear her take a deep breath.

"I can't. I can't sleep after what they did." Her voice, which usually is cold, is now full of emotion. I can tell she is crying. What is it about night time that makes us so... real?

"Just try." I tell her. I am already half asleep.

"Odair?" she asks quietly.

"Yeah?" I mumble. My eyes won't stay open.

"Why do you think they do it? Force us to do this?"

"Because it's all they know." I say and then I am gone.

* * *

><p>"<em>Finn!" Annie laughs. Her smile takes up most of her face. She is giggling. <em>

_Happy._

"_Ann!" I run towards her. _

"_Why are you smiling so big?" she asks, sounding concerned. _

"_I am happy. So, so happy." Her sea green eyes sparkle. We are on the beach in District 4._

_We are home. _

"_I love you so much, Finn." Annie says. Her hair is blowing in the wind. It's a beautiful day. She is reaching for my hand and I realize it has been a long time since I have felt it's warmth. It is a great feeling. Something I want forever. Just me and my Annie forever._

"_I love you Annie. You mean the world to me." I reply. She smiles again and gets up and her tiptoes. Her lips touch mine and I let myself miss her. I let myself give into the sadness that I might never see her again. It hits me hard. It is overwhelming and while I know I should feel happy the moment is too bittersweet. _

"_Finn take me swimming!" Annie pulls away. "I'll beat you there!" _

"_No way!" I catch up to her. I grab her around the waist and carry her all the way into the water. We are both laughing as I drop her into the water. She pops right back up. _

"_There, now we both won." I tell her._

"_You are a cheater Finnick Odair." She says, but her tone has changed. She is now accusing me instead of teasing. She wears a blank expression, her eyes dark._

_She knows? How does she know about what Snow made me do? _

"_What, Ann?" _

_Her eyes are back to normal and she is smiling like nothing happened. "You cheated, Finn! I would've won!" She playfully pokes me in the stomach. I kiss her but I get that feeling back._

_Something is going to go wrong._

_As a Victor you can never be sure of something. You always have a doubt. You aren't allowed to be happy. _

_She suddenly ducks below the water. I smile. Annie likes to play games. And thats what this is, a game._

_Right?_

_Panic fills me. She hasn't come up. Annie is not the best swimmer. Sure, she has the standard skills that District 4 teaches everyone, but there is no way anyone could call her advanced. _

"_ANNIE!" I scream. "ANN!" The weather has changed, clouds are rolling in. The waves are get higher, more powerful._

_I dive down deep into the water. I force my eyes open. They burn but I swim deeper. There is no sign of her. My lungs burn for oxygen but I stay down a bit longer. _

_Something grazes the back of my neck. I look up to see a foot. I relax instantly. Annie has surfaced. I head up._

"_Ann don't do tha-"_

"_Odair, I am not your wacky girlfriend."_

_It's Johanna. _

"_What are you even doing here?" The clouds have brought rain. Hard and heavy, it hurts the top of my head. She smirks._

"_Because you want me here, Odair. You want me here just as much as you want Annie here."_

_Her makeup is running now, but the rain isn't even touching her. It's as if a barrier had formed around her, protecting her from the precipitation. She is crying._

"_You want me here Finnick. You need me here." She wails._

"_No, no I don't. I need Annie. I love Annie."_

"_You love me Finnick. You are just realizing it now, only, I won't be here much longer." She floats onto her back. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth, turning the sea around her an ugly shade of pink. _

_She begins to sing slowly. _

"_Twinkling with grace, _

_Killing without trace,  
><em>

_Caring with lullaby,_

_Torturing without mercy."_

_She takes a jagged breath. A tear falls from her eye. I swim as fast as I can to her._

"_Johanna. You need to stay alive. Take a deep breath, come on. In and out. You can survive." A sob leaves my mouth and I realize I am crying. "I need you to survive."_

_Her hand reaches my cheek and caresses it._

"_Run," she says simply, and then she sinks too fast for even me to catch her._

* * *

><p>"Finnick. Finnick," a voice says.<p>

"Oh, goddamn, wake him already!" I hear a familiar voice yell. Footsteps right next to my head, and then "ODAIR, UP. NOW." My eyes fly open and I sit up. Johanna smirks.

"Finnick, we really need to move." Katniss tells me. I stand. The hut is already taken down, camp is all packed up. Peeta holds a piece of bread.

"Breakfast, Finnick?" He extends his hand. I snatch the bread and eat it quickly.

"Okay, lets move. Now." Johanna orders. Beetee hands me my pack and trident and we begin to move.

"Odair." Johanna pulls me to the back of the group. "You were crying last night, while you were sleeping. Why?"

We are so close. My dream flashes through my mind.

"_Twinkling with grace."_

"I don't remember." I lie.

"_Killing without trace."_

She raises her eyebrow. "Oh, really?" Victors, naturally suspicious.

"_Caring with lullaby."_

"Mason, let it go. I don't remember."

"_Torturing without mercy."_

Silence.

"Fine."

**AN: Yes, yes. I am a HUGE Johannick shipper. Okay. But I also ship Fannie so yes that will be in here too. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, mostly the dream. Not my lyrics... ****  
><strong>

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: um…SORRY! I have decided to not write Katniss because Catching Fire is already in her POV…so… here you go!**

**Peeta's POV**

We have just started our journey to a new part of the Arena. I am in need of sleep , but I am used to being tired. My body didn't need much adjusting once I got back into the Arena. It was stuck like this, ever since my first time in The Games. It's hard to remember when sleep came easily. It's even harder to remember when I enjoyed the sweet escape of dreams.

"Peeta?" Katniss asks. She is in front, leading us. Beetee, who hasn't been quite right since we lost Wiress, is in his own little world in the middle of the group. Johanna and Finnick were having a conversation, walking slowly at the back. But now Finnick was falling behind. He looked scared, and lost. Like a young Beetee.

I speed up a bit to catch her, but it's hard with my leg. "Yeah?"

"When are we going to get out of this?" She whispers.

"Of what?"

She glances over her shoulder. "We can't stick with them forever. We are going to need to get out sometime." I glance back at the others

I know she is right. If we want to survive, if I want to get Katniss out of here, we can't put our lives in other peoples hands. I promised Haymitch. And I know Katniss did the same.

But deep down I knew who Haymitch needed and wanted to get out of the Arena. Katniss. She had more power, more strength. She was more valuable in a place like Panem. She had Prim. Prim needs her.

I had no one. No one needs me.

"Lets stick with them for a bit longer. The more we let them get rid of the less we have to do ourselves." I tell her. She looks concerned and I know she is only thinking of ways to get me out of this Arena. "Katniss, I know what you promis-"

"Peeta, I can't... I have to get you out of here." She interrupts. Her eyes look wet but she would never cry. She wouldn't let the Capitol see her weakness. She wouldn't give Snow the satisfaction.

"No, Katniss. Listen to me. You are getting out of here. I don't care what you promised Haymitch, because he promised me the same thing. And we all know you have Prim."

"You have a family too, Peeta. They need you."

"No, Katniss." My whole body aches just thinking about home, family, and the fact that I will never see District 12 and its familiar faces ever again. I am trying to become okay with it, though. "If you died in here... I would die too. I wouldn't be the same. You, you could have a future." My mind flashes to Gale, and then I realize how true my words are. She would do just fine.

She leaves it at that. I know she is still planning on getting me out of here, but she would never admit it, now that she knows that I would rather die in this Arena then ever live a day without her.

We walk for a while longer, careful. Most of the Arena's dangers are unknown to us. The clock is exact, and we don't know many of the different events.

"I think we should break here," Johanna calls out. We turn to look at her.

"Johanna, we don't know what happens here." Katniss says, annoyed with our location. Johanna lets out a loud groan.

"Listen, Brainless. I can only handle so much of you. Now I want to stop, you know...take a breather. We have walked this whole damned Arena already." She takes a seat right where she had stopped walking. I look to Finnick, who shrugs and drops his items.

Katniss doesn't look happy, so I try to let her be. She needs time to plan whatever she wants to. She deserves that, because no matter what her plans will not work out. We are in the Arena. Nothing is for sure.

Finnick stands and grabs his water bottle. "I'm getting some water." Katniss looks up.

"I'll come. I've got the spile." She grabs her water bottle, as well as mine. Finnick takes Johanna's and Beetee's. They begin to leave and my heart races.

"Katniss," I grab her elbow.

"What, Peeta!?" She snaps. Her eyes seem distant, and I don't take her anger personally. I know she is just as scared as everyone else is.

"Be safe." My eyes flick up to Finnick. I would like to trust him, along with the others. But The Capitol has taught me to fear, and the Arena has taught me how to live.

"Peeta. Lay down, get some sleep, okay?" I nod.

She turns, bow in hand, and leaves. I head over to where Johanna is.

"Hey, Lover Boy." She is laying down, arms and legs stretched out. She is looking towards the false sky, and I wonder what she is thinking about. Maybe she is thinking about the fateful day when her name was first called. Or when she had to turn from sweet to sour.

"Lay down." She pats the ground next to her. I sprawl out on the sand, and try to relax.

"What are you thinking about, Johanna?" My voice is quiet.

"Do you ever wonder what Beetee thinks about?" She whispers about the man sitting down the beach. I have no doubt The Capitol is not showing this conversation. "I mean, they did that to him. They took the brightest person from his district and burnt out his bulb. And now he just sits there and he isn't the same. He isn't even half of the person he was." She clears her throat, and I know she is crying.

"Am I half, Peeta? I don't... I feel so..."

"If you're half, I'm half. And we cant change that." I look at her, and she is still looking up.

"I suppose all of us are half. And isn't it funny how they expect us to function as half of a whole? Maybe thats why they want us dead. We aren't the shinny trophies they expected. We are damaged monsters."

"They want us dead because they created us. We are monsters, but only because they turned us into them." I tell her, and I mean it. I am a monster, Johanna is, we all are.

"Peeta, we killed people. We were just kids."

"They will pay for it... someday."

Silence.

"Go to sleep, Peeta."

My eyes close as soon as Johanna finishes her sentence. I would love to relax, and get some rest, but I don't trust anyone around me. We are dangerous people, who could kill anyone. Victors... we are weapons, created by The Capitol. But lack of sleep starts to affect even me, and I feel myself drift into a light sleep.

I just begin dreaming when I hear Katniss scream.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'M SORRY!**

**Johanna's POV**

I hear Katniss scream first. My heart dropped, and I know I have failed. Failed the rebellion, failed the districts, failed myself. I wanted nothing more than to take her place. The rebellion didn't need me. It needed the person who had given it hope, given it a spark.

Peeta has already awoken from his nap and is rushing to find Katniss. I get on my feet and chase after him. I know what he will be going through. I have felt the pain of a death that is personal.

My pace quickens because I remember that Finnick is with Katniss. I didn't want to face Katniss dying, and I don't even like her much, but if Finnick dies? There would be no point, I would just die in here. Panem without Finnick would be like reliving the arena everyday.

Only when I catch up with Peeta I find out that neither Finnick nor Katniss are dead. Instead, Finnick sits in the sand, head down in defeat, and Katniss is crying.

"Peeta?" I ask, but he doesn't move from his spot. "Whats going on?" He looks at me with sad eyes, and finally explains the situation.

"Force field." It must not be strong, though, because his hand rests on it, comforting Katniss on the other side.

"Whats happening in there?" My eyes focus back on Finnick. He has had years of practice to hide his pain, but even know his mask can't quite cover what he is feeling.

If Finnick shows his pain, then it must be bad.

"Listen close." I lean in towards the force field, trying to understand what is happening. I hear voices of people who shouldn't be here. Annie is screaming, and I know thats why Finnick is crying. The most selfish part of me feels a flash of jealousy.

"Who is Katniss crying over?" I ask, wanting to take my mind off the jealousy building within me.

"Her younger sister, Prim. She volunteered for her at the reaping before our games." A moment of silence passes before he speaks again. "And Gale." I decide to leave him alone for now.

I move to the farthest part of the force field, trying to get Finnick's attention, but he doesn't look up from the sand. I sit down and try to listen to what the voices are saying.

"_Finn! Finn!_" Annie's voice screams. I wonder if the Capitol is showing this. The audience likes physical pain, not psychological. Maybe this was a special breed of torture created by Snow to target the group Katniss is in. If he could turn her into Annie there would be no rebellion. Just drive her mad.

Then I hear a new voice. A calm voice, full of laughter. My voice. I listen closer. "_Stop Finnick!_" I hear myself laugh, and I know these are not distorted memories. They are real, from the night of Katniss and Peeta's Victory Tour stop in the Capitol. We spent the night goofing off, getting drunk, just challenging the Capitol.

Finnick has a reaction now.

His hands cover his ears and he starts pacing. I panic. If they are playing this, and Annie hears this, Finnick will never be able to look me in the eye.

"_Do you love me Odair?_" My drunken voice slurs. No, no, no. They recorded us. I shouldn't be surprised, but there was something so intimate about this conversation. I thought that this had gone untouched, left alone. How dumb of me to expect privacy.

"_Of course I love you Mason. You're my best friend._" Finnick replies. I am stunned they are playing this. No doubt they are showing this to drive Annie deeper into her own mind.

"_No Finnick, like more then that. Odair, I mean_-" My anger rises up. How dare they? I get up from my spot on the sand and hit the force field. My fist is just deflected, but that doesn't cap my anger. I kick and scream and hit the force field, putting all my power behind the attack.

Finally I am just hitting air, as the hour is up and the force field disappears. I fall to my knees, tears rolling down my cheeks. Finnick quickly walks back towards our packs, not even looking in my direction.

I fall back onto the sand and force myself to stop crying. I'm thankful for my fit of rage, or I would have had to finish listening to their recording.

It feels like forever, but finally I feel someone tap me. Peeta stands over me, and I know Katniss probably wanted time alone after what happened. I pat the sand next to me and he lays down. We lay in silence for a bit, understanding our pain won't be fixed with words.

"I'm sorry," Peeta says.

"Yeah, me too."


End file.
